Baggage

My birthday is now 10 days away.  I have mixed feelings about this because yes, birthdays are fun, but it also means I am getting closer and closer to the big 3-0.  I know 30 is no biggie, and I still have a few years left but it's hard to believe how quickly the years go by.  For the record, I will be 27 ;)

I don't think I've had a suprise birthday gift since I was about 12.  My mom is of the mind set that she'd rather just get us something we want than try to figure it out on her own.  I decided I wanted a new handbag, which you might remember in a previous post.  I orginally wanted this gorgeous leather bag made by an etsy seller in Morocco, but then it sold the day after I posted pictures about it.  It happened to be a blessing in disguise because the bag was enormous and would not have worked for everyday wear.

It's up for sale again and really is absolutely amazing, it's just not right for me.  Here's a refresher of what it looked like:

After scouring the web I found THE bag for me!  My mom already ordered it and I can't wait to see it in person!  It's the Vintage Re-Issue bag made by Fossil and is the perfect size, shape, style, and leather I wanted!

I am now obsessed with the Fossil Cheetah Clutch.  It's perfect for those days when you don't want to lug around an entire bag and it's destined to be mine!

Do you have a must-have bag for this season?  Please share, I'd love to hear what you are lusting over!

Traditional Tuscan Asian

Tradition, Tuscan, Asian?  Yup, that's what I would call it!  My Mom and I couldn't be more alike in many ways, so it's amazing how different our personal decorating styles are.  I am a lover of all sorts of interiors, which is why I chose the profession.  I choose to surround myself in my home with vintage, worn, and casual things whereas my mom likes a more classic feel.

When my Mom and step-dad were building their new house, I was in college for interior design and working at a local high end furniture store.  They came to me to help furnish a few rooms.  My mom is perfectly capable of decorating her own home(I got my creative side from her) yet she usually asks for my input and we end up doing the decorating together.  While I was there todayI snapped a few pictures to share with you.  We also recently went to Home Goods, a.k.a. the best place on earth, for a few decorative accessories.

All of the furniture and the rug in this room came from the furniture store I worked at, the mirror from here, and most accessories were from Home Goods and things she already owned.  Window treatments made by yours truly.

My favorite part of this room is the amazing tray coffee table.  The 2 trays on the top are removable for entertaining.

This table in the entry is one of my all-time favorites.  It fits in gorgeously with the curved staircase.  The decorative items on top are a mix of high and low end that work well together.  The floral arrangement comes from NDI with a hefty price tag but can be a great investment because quality faux arrangements will last a very long time.  The other accessories are from Home Goods and can be easily moved around and changed out as needed.

These 3 rooms I am sharing are in the front of the house which are a bit more formal, but you can sort of see through the left and right towards the back of the house are the more casual family room and morning room/kitchen.

Window treatments again made by me.  I also recovered all the chair cushions and my aunt(who taught me to sew) upholstered the armchairs on the ends of the tables.  Silk rug from a rug store in San Francisco, and dining set from another local furniture store.

This last room clearly is the dining room which is where out of the three spaces most of the asian comes in.  It's hard to see in these photos but all of the art on the walls are gorgeous asian watercolors and prints.  The fabric on the window panels is a beautiful asian bird print but the linen and style of the treatment gives it more of a traditional feel.  We are a large family of 6 plus spouses so the spacious dining room is nice for holidays and Sunday dinners. 

So there you have it!  I thought it might be nice to share a bit more versatility from me for those of you who enjoy a more traditional style :)  I hope you enjoyed this little tour of my mom's house!

A Little Enamel

I have been making these necklaces from vintage enamel flowers for some time now, but the latest batch of them are some of my all-time favorites!  Some great pieces to add a little funk to your fall wardrobe!

I love that each of these necklaces are one of a kind and that each of these flowers had a previous life and have now been revamped and are ready to live a new one!

Before and After: Landscape

I have to say, my husband was more excited about this project than I was.  Don't get me wrong, I am thrilled we did it, but he was about to crawl out of his skin he was so excited.  It certainly does kick up the curb appeal a notch! 

After living in this house for 3 years, we finally bit the bullet and signed on the dotted line.  A new paved driveway!  You'll see from the before picture that this was much needed!  Not to mention we were the last on the block that had not done it yet.

Before

See what I mean?  Pretty bad.  We had widened the driveway about 3 feet over the years and the gravel was pretty sparse.

After

I really am blown away at how different it makes our yard look.  The whole process took only about 4 hours which is absolutely amazing to me!  My husband is working on aerating, seeding, mulching and planting fall flowers now, so I will share the final look once he is done.  We're coming right along!

Loving Right Now-Vintage Edition

Hello, ladies!  I hope you all had a great weekend.  I had a wonderful weekend as I try to take in these last warm days we are having.  I don't know when it will end, but I am holding onto it as long as I can! 

I went to my sweet friend's baby shower which I will share with you shortly, but for now I am sharing what I am loving right now-the vintage edition!  I feel like I have a never ending wish list.  Do you ever feel like that? 

Right now I am loving these southwestern style vintage woven belts.  The colors are amazing and the worn leather just speaks to me!

  All belts via etsy. 

Jeans, boots, and a simple tee would be pure casual perfection with one of these belts!

Continuing on with the woven patterns, I am completely obsessed with this messenger bag!

Do you love?? 

Okay, these are not vintage, but they are too pretty to leave out of this 'what I am loving' post!  The cooler weather always has me searching for cozy and stylish scarves and these lightweight printed infinity scarves are perfect for the start of the season.  Made by shannabanana on etsy.  I think I may order 1 for myself and 1 for my sister's birthday!  She and I actually celebrate our birthdays exactly 1 week apart.

Vintage paint by numbers-so cute!  Would fit perfectly into my house :)

How amazing are these vintage tables?  They have been revamped with a gorgeous floral/bird print fabric on the drawer fronts.  Also found on etsy.

So what are you loving right now?  Anything on your fall wardrobe list?  Or maybe a must have to cozy up your home for the colder months?

omg I'm Star Struck!

I have never met a celebrity.  Ever.  So tonight was pretty cool!  I went to a fashion show at our local mall.  Several stores were displaying their new collections in different shows.  We showed up right when Alexis Bellino(Real Housewives of Orange County) when on stage to show off her new collection!!  My sister and I are HUGE Real Housewife fans!  I mean huge.  I watch them all and I love the outrageous drama! 

There's a picture in case you're not sure which one she is.  So anyway, my sister and I are watching her on stage as she speaks about her collection, and when she exits we notice she walks off to the side and a few people start walking up to her to take photos.  My sister and I look at each other and say "should we go?!"  So of course, knowing this is a once in a lifetime opportunity we head on over to her.  She looks right at us and I nudge my sister to ask her for a photo and she sees me do it so she walks up to meet us!!  Here's the strange part-not to be mean, but I'm not really a huge fan of her on the show but for some reason I got so incredibly giddy and silly!  She shook my hand and I laughed and said "Oh my god!  I am so star struck!"  Awkward?  Yes.  Then my sister giggles and points to me and says "This is my sister".  All she could think to say.  We were major dorks.  We took a photo with her but the person who took it cut half of Alexis's head off and the pic is horrible so I will not be sharing ;)  All my sister and I could do afterward is laugh at how incredibly stupid we acted.  It's definitely something I will never forget.

Have you ever met a celebrity?  Were you star struck?  I'd love to hear!

While the Lights Were Out

It's really amazing the amount of things I got done while the power was out.  I found myself getting so bored that I was looking for things to clean in a house I had already cleaned before the storm!  I knew if we lost power the last thing I wanted was to stumble around in the dark tripping over that pile of clothes I have been meaning to get to.  We were fortunate that the heat wasn't too terribly bad, so we let the fresh air in and embraced the cool nights. 

I made lots and lots of jewelry.  One very exciting order I will tell you about in a few weeks ;)  And a few other new goodies for the shop!

Tons of new stud earrings:

I aslo added a few new cameo pieces.  I love the vintage charm a cameo holds!

A sweater guard perfect for keeping your fall cardigans in place.

And a pretty little pair of cameo earrings.

I will let you in on my little bit of fun news as soon as I can!